Christmas tree assembly

ABSTRACT

A christmas tree assembly adapted to be mounted on a vertical structure such as a door includes a generally triangular shaped back plate having means for anchoring the trunk of an artificial tree to one face thereof and connection means at the upper and lower ends thereof to secure the assembly to the vertical structure.

United States Patent [191 Thomann Dec. 31 1974 CHRISTMAS TREE ASSEMBLY 13/ auvfilln;ll D29/l A 1 [76] Inventor: Carl S. Thomann, 3738 S. Grun CL, 2 l an 61/24 Englewood Colo" 80110 Primary ExaminerWilliam E. Schulz [22] Filed: May 21, 1973 Attorney, Agent, or FirmBurt0n, Crandell & 21 Appl. No.: 361,961 Polumbus 52 Us Cl 2 D [57] ABSTRACT E51; ln.t..Cl-. 16144 71,g A Christmas tree assembly adapted to be mounted on [58] Field D29 /1 A a vertical structure such as a door includes a generally triangular shaped back plate having means for anchor [56] References Cited ing the trunk of an artificial tree to one face thereof and connection means at the upper and lower ends UNITED STATES PATENTS thereof to secure the assembly to the vertical struc- 2,289,680 7/1942 Prettyman 161/23 t 2,864,192 12/1958 Shoalts 161/22 2,911,748 11/1959 Rodgers 161/24 5 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures CHRISTMAS TREE ASSEMBLY The present invention is generally concerned with artificial christmas trees and more particularly with a new and improved christmas tree assembly adapted to be mounted on a door, wall or the like.

It is frequently necessary during the christmas season to rearrange furniture in order to provide space for a christmas tree, whether it be real or artificial, and this rearrangement sometimes requires that furniture be placed in undesirable locations in the room or even possibly in other rooms to provide space for the tree.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a novel and improved christmas tree assembly which is adapted to utilize available space in a room so that furniture need not be rearranged.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a christmas tree assembly adapted to be mounted on a vertical structure such as a door or wall so as not to unnecessarily occupy usable floor space.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a christmas tree assembly which is adapted to be mounted on a vertical structure such as a door or wall and which is readily disassembled into sections which can be easily stored when not in use.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a christmas tree assembly adapted to be positively mounted on a pivotal door in a manner such that the door can be used and will not be damaged by the assembly.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a christmas tree assembly having a back plate to which a real or artificial tree can be attached and connection means at the upper and lower ends of the back plate for releasably attaching the assembly to a door in a manner such that the door is not damaged by the assembly and can be normally used.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a christmas tree assembly having a planar back plate substantially conforming in configuration to a pine tree with an artificial tree secured to one face of the back plate so as to conceal the one face as well as top and bottom brackets secured to the back plate and receiving the upper and lower edges of a door to positively suspend the assembly from the door.

These and other objects of the present invention are attained with a christmas tree assembly which includes a back plate upon which a christmas tree can be mounted and means for removably suspending the back plate from a vertical structure. More particularly, the back plate is a substantially triangular shaped panel preferably having upper and lower portions which are releasably connected and adapted to receive fasteners which extend around the trunk of a christmas tree to secure the tree to the back plate. In a preferred embodiment, a bracket is secured to the upper end of the back plate and is adapted to extend over the top edge of a door so that the back plate can be suspended from the door. A similar bracket is anchored to the lower end of the back plate and is adapted to pass beneath the lower edge of the door so that the assembly can be securely fastened to the door in a manner such that the door can be normally used without affecting the mounting of the assembly thereon.

Other objects, advantages and capabilities of the present invention will become more apparent as the description proceeds taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the christmas tree assembly of the present invention mounted on a pivotal door,

FIG. 2 is a front elevation of the christmas tree assembly of the present invention mounted on a pivotal door with the tree removed for clarity,

FIG. 3 is an enlarged vertical section taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 2, and

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the christmas tree assembly of FIG. 1 with parts removed for clarity.

Referring to FIG. 1, the christmas tree assembly 10 of the present invention is shown mounted on the front face 12 ofa door 14 pivotally mounted to a door frame 16. The assembly can be seen best in FIGS. 2 through 4 to include a back plate 18 with brackets 20 and 22 at the top and bottom thereof respectively to mount the back plate on the door and an artificial tree 24 secured to the back plate by attachment elements 26.

The back plate 18 is preferably generally triangular in configuration conforming to the basic configuration of a pine tree and made of a thin rigid material such as masonite or plywood. In the preferred form, the back plate is divided at an intermediate location into upper and lower portions 28 and 30 respectively with the lower portion 30 of the back plate including a depending inverted T-shaped segment 32 conforming generally in configuration to a conventional support stand for a christmas tree. Accordingly, the entire back plate 18 resembles a christmas tree in a stand so that a christmas tree mounted thereon, whether it be real or artificial, will entirely cover and conceal the back plate. As best seen in FIG. 4, a pair of elongated horizontal slots 34 are provided adjacent the upper edge of the lower portion 30 of the back plate and associated T-shaped latches 36 are pivotally mounted adjacent the lower edge of the upper portion '38 with the latches 36 being adapted to extend through the associated slots 34 whereupon they can be rotated through to the position shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 to releasably connect the upper and lower portions 28 and 30. A square shaped opening 38 is centrally located adjacent the upper edge of the upper portion 28 to facilitate attachment of the top bracket 20 to the back plate as will be explained hereinafter.

The top bracket 20, which .is best seen in FIG. 4, can be seen to have integral front, top and rear mutually perpendicular planar plate portions 40, 42 and 44 respectively, defining a downwardly opening groove 46 of rectangular transverse cross-section adapted to receive the top edge 48 of the door. A semi-cylindrical forward extension 50 is formed by extruding a portion of the front planar plate portion of the top bracket and is of a size adapted to extend through the square shaped opening 38 adjacent the upper end of the upper portion 28 of the back plate. The top bracket 20 is releasably connected to the upper portion 28 by inserting the semi-cylindrical extension 50 through the opening 38 and sliding a pin 52 through the semi-cylindrical portion adjacent the front face of the upper portion 28. In this manner, the back plate can be suspended from the top edge 48 of the door by hooking the top bracket over the top edge so that the back plate hangs downwardly covering a substantial portion of the front face 12 of the door as illustrated in FIG. 2.

To positively anchor the back plate 18 to the door 14 so that the door can be normally used without relative movement between the back plate and the door, it has been found desirable to anchor the lower end of the back plate to the door. In the preferred form, the bottom bracket 22 is used to anchor the lower end of the back plate to the door and it can be seen in FIG. 4 to be similar to the top bracket in having front, bottom, and rear planar mutually perpendicular plate portions 54, 56 and 58 respectively defining an upwardly opening groove 60 of rectangular transverse cross-section adapted to receive the bottom edge 62 of the door. The front planar plate portion 54 of the bottom bracket 22 has a forwardly projecting semi-cylindrical portion 64 formed by extrusion and adapted to extend through an attachment ring 65 on the lower end of a turnbuckle 66 whereby a pin 68 can be extended through the semicylindrical portion 64 to attach the turnbuckle 66 to the bracket 22 as shown in FIG. 3. The turnbuckle is provided with a hook-shaped arm 70 on its upper end adapted to pass over a looped bracket 72 anchored to the lower portion 30 of the back plate adjacent the lower edge thereof. Of course, as with conventional turnbuckles, the intermediate oval-shaped body portion 74 of the turnbuckle can be rotated to change the effective length of the turnbuckle so that the back plate can be stretched between the top and bottom brackets 20 and 22 respectively and thereby positively secured to the door.

For purposes of illustration, the christmas tree assembly 10 of the present invention is disclosed as having an artifical tree 24 anchored to the back plate 18. It will be readily appreciated, however, with the description hereinafter, that a real tree could be similarly anchored to the back plate. The artificial tree 24 is seen best in FIG. 4 to include a trunk 76 having upper and lower tubular sections 78 and 80 respectively which are releasably connected in a telescopic manner at the longitudinal center of the trunk with each section 78 and 80 having a plurality of randomly directed openings 82 therein adapted to receive the stem portion 84 of artificial branches 85 so that when branches have been inserted into the openings 82, a substantially semiconically shaped tree having the configuration shown in FIG. 1 is created.

The tree 24 is anchored to the back plate 18 with the aforementioned attachment elements 26 in which the preferred form are vertically spaced loops or strands of wire adapted to pass around the trunk of the tree and extend through horizontally spaced pairs of openings 86 in the back plate 18 so that the loops of wire 26 can be secured behind the back plate to tighten the trunk against the front face of the back plate. ln order that the loops of wire and the back plate in general do not damage the front face 12 of the door, a buffering layer of blotter paper 88 or the like is bonded to the rear face of the back plate in overlying relationship with the secured ends of the loops of wire. in this manner, the blotter paper 88 protects the finish on the front face of the door.

To enclose the turnbuckle 66 and thereby hide it from view, a generally semi-cylindrical boot 90 having rearwardly projecting hooked arms 92 at opposite sides thereof is adapted to be suspended from the lower inverted T-shaped segment 32 of the lower portion 30 of the back plate. These hook-shaped arms 92 extend through spaced openings 94 provided in the inverted T-shaped segment 32 so that the boot is removably suspended from the back plate and resembles a conventional tree stand.

It will be appreciated from the foregoing description that a christmas tree assembly has been described which is easily assembled and disassembled for storage purposes and which can be very conveniently mounted on a door or the like so as not to occupy otherwise usable space during the christmas season. While the christmas tree assembly has been described as being mounted on a door, it will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that the back plate could be easily suspended from a wall by utilizing conventional picture hangers and any suitable means for suspending the back plate from the picture hangers.

Although the present invention has been described with a certain degree of particularity, it is understood that the present disclosure has been made by way of example and that changes in details of structure may be made without departing from the spirit thereof.

What is claimed is:

l. A christmas tree assembly adapted to be mounted on a pivotal door comprising in combination:

an elongated rigid planar back plate having a generally triangular configuration with an upper portion and a lower portion, and connection means on said upper and lower portions for releasably connecting together the upper and lower portions, said upper and lower portions each having aligned pairs of openings therethrough extending substantially along a longitudinal axis of the back plate,

a tree structure including an elongated trunk portion composed of upper and lower sections adapted to be telescopically connected in longitudinal alignment, said upper and lower sections each having a plurality of openings therein, and a plurality of artificial branch members inserted in said openings and radiating outwardly from the trunk sections to form an artificial tree,

a plurality of strands of wire extending around said trunk sections, each strand of wire passing through one pair of said openings in the back plate so as to secure said trunk sections to one side of the back plate,

a buffer sheet of material covering the opposite side of said back plate,

mounting means connecting said back plate to the pivotal door, said mounting means including an upper bracket attached to the upper portion of the back plate, said upper bracket having a downwardly opening groove adapted to receive the upper edge of the door so as to suspend the back plate from the upper edge of the door, a lower bracket having an upwardly opening groove adapted to receive the lower edge of the door, and turnbuckle means having one end secured to said lower portion of the back plate and an opposite end secured to said lower bracket whereby manipulation of said turnbuckle will tighten the back plate between said upper and lower brackets, and

a boot of generally semi-cylindrical configuration suspended from said lower portion of the back plate adjacent the lower edge thereof a cover for the turnbuckle means.

2. A severable artificial Christmas tree assembly adapted to be mounted upon a vertical structure and easily separated in decorated from into component parts for storage, said assembly comprising in combination:

an elongated rigid planar back plate having a generally triangular configuration with an upper portion and a lower portion and connection means releasably connecting the upper portion to the lower portion,

a tree structure including an elongated trunk portion composed of upper and lower trunk sections, said upper trunk section being connected to the upper portion of the back plate and the lower trunk section being connected to the lower portion of the back plate, said trunk sections being axially aligned when the upper and lower back plate portions are connected, said upper and lower trunk sections each having a plurality of openings therein and a plurality of artificial tree-like branch members inserted in said openings and radiating outwardly from the trunk sections through approximately 180 to form an artificial tree of semi-conical configuration, and

mounting means operably connected to said back plate for mounting the back plate on the vertical structure.

3. The christmas tree assembly of claim 2 wherein said vertical structure is a pivotal door and wherein said mounting means is attached to the back plate adjacent an upper edge thereof and includes a bracket having a downwardly opening groove therein to receive the upper edge of the door so that the back plate can be suspended from the door with the back plate extending parallel and adjacent to a face of the door.

4. The christmas tree assembly of claim 3 wherein said mounting means further includes a second bracket attached to the back plate adjacent a lower edge thereof, said second bracket having an upwardly opening groove therein adapted to receive the lower edge of the door whereby said back plate can be anchored to the door at the lower end thereof.

5. The christmas tree assembly of claim 4 wherein said second bracket is attached to the back plate by an adjustable member whereby the back plate can be tightened between the first mentioned and second brackets when the brackets have the top and bottom edges of the door received therein.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3, 57,7 Dated February 12, 1975 Inventor(s) Carl nn It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

Inventor's address should read --3738 South Green Court--.

Signed and sealed this 15th. day of April 1375.

(s1 ittest:

C I- AIISIZALL DANE? F. TII C. ZQ-ISGN Commissioner of Patents Butt-eating; Officer and Trademarks FORM (1M9) USCOMM-DC 6O376-P69 U.S. GOVERNNENT PRINTING OFFICE: 'Q" 0-35-334; 

1. A christmas tree assembly adapted to be mounted on a pivotal door comprising in combination: an elongated rigid planar back plate having a generally triangular configuration with an upper portion and a lower portion, and connection means on said upper and lower portions for releasably connecting together the upper and lower portions, said upper and lower portions each having aligned pairs of openings therethrough extending substantially along a longitudinal axis of the back plate, a tree structure including an elongated trunk portion composed of upper and lower sections adapted to be telescopically connected in longitudinal alignment, said upper and lower sections each having a plurality of openings therein, and a plurality of artificial branch members inserted in said openings and radiating outwardly from the trunk sections to form an artificial tree, a plurality of strands of wire extending around said trunk sections, each strand of wire passing through one pair of said openings in the back plate so as to secure said trunk sections to one side of the back plate, a buffer sheet of material covering the opposite side of said back plate, mounting means connecting said back plate to the pivotal door, said mounting means including an upper bracket attached to the upper portion of the back plate, said upper bracket having a downwardly opening groove adapted to receive the upper edge of the door so as to suspend the back plate from the upper edge of the door, a lower bracket having an upwardly opening groove adapted to receive the lower edge of the door, and turnbuckle means having one end secured to said lower portion of the back plate and an opposite end secured to said lower bracket whereby manipulation of said turnbuckle will tighten the back plate between said upper and lower brackets, and a boot of generally semi-cylindrical configuration suspended from said lower portion of the back plate adjacent the lower edge thereof a cover for the turnbuckle means.
 2. A severable artificial Christmas tree assembly adapted to be mounted upon a vertical structure and easily separated in decorated from into component parts for storage, said assembly comprising in combination: an elongated rigid planar back plate having a generally triangular configuration with an upper portion and a lower portion and connection means releasably connecting the upper portion to the lower portion, a tree structure including an elongated trunk portion composed of upper and lower trunk sections, said upper trunk section being connected to the upper portion of the back plate and the lower trunk section being connected to the lower portion of the back plate, said trunk sections being axially aligned when the upper and lower back plate portions are connected, said upper and lower trunk sections each having a plurality of openings therein and a plurality of artificial tree-like branch members inserted in said openings and radiating outwardly from the trunk sections through approximately 180* to form an artificial tree of semi-conical configuration, and mounting means operably connected to said back plate for mounting the back plate on the vertical structure.
 3. The christmas tree assembly of claim 2 wherein said vertical structure is a pivotal door and wherein said mounting means is attached to the back plate adjacent an upper edge thereof and includes a bracket having a downwardly opening groove therein to receive the upper edge of the door so that the back plate can be suspended from the door with the back plate extending parallel and adjacent to a face of the door.
 4. The christmas tree assembly of claim 3 wherein said mounting means further includes a second bracket attached to the back plate adjacent a lower edge thereof, said second bracket having an upwardly opening groove therein adapted to receive the lower edge of the door whereBy said back plate can be anchored to the door at the lower end thereof.
 5. The christmas tree assembly of claim 4 wherein said second bracket is attached to the back plate by an adjustable member whereby the back plate can be tightened between the first mentioned and second brackets when the brackets have the top and bottom edges of the door received therein. 